Legal process has to be followed, can’t shortcut that: UK on Mallya extradition

TIL Desk/Business/London/ Noting the urgency and desire on the part of India to extradite people accused of corruption, the UK on Friday said a “legal process” is on in Vijay Mallya’s matter and it has to be followed through as there cannot be any shortcut. In May last year, the fugitive businessman lost his appeals in the British Supreme Court against his extradition to India to face money laundering and fraud charges.

Asked when can Mallya be extradited to India and if some kind of legal issue is still pending in the matter, new British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, without pointing to any particular case, said he recognises the urgency, importance and the desire to get back people who are accused of corruption to India. “Extradition is a mixture of an administrative and a judicial process, and so it goes to the courts.

“The home secretary has done what needs to be done from the executive’s point of view in the case of Vijay Mallya. “But it (the matter) is part of a judicial process and our courts work their way through those processes. It is something controlled by the judges,” he said. Asked about what kind of issue was holding up Mallya’s extradition, the British envoy said, “There is a process going on. I think it is a legal process and has to be followed through, can’t short cut that. That is why you have legal processes.”